More than likely bussing was organized by the lowest bidder. Or the one who kicked back the most to Donnie Two Scoops. In either case, not the competent ones.
I was part of the military unit that did security for The Great Poping of 1984 in Moncton, NB, Canada. Pretty smooth getting everyone in from remote parking lots, with folks showing up at daylight. We were in our positions by dawn, at the corners of tape & staked blocks with row/column letter/number identifiers. Went very well.
Moderate chaos at the end though. Same problem… nice even, predictable inflow, unpossible to handle by any means outflow. Thousands of tired worshippers trying to get down the one road to the buses. Lots of people chose to go thru the woods and get lost. We spent the night finding them and helping them to the bus lot. I don’t recall if anyone died.
Even cooler CSB: I was in an infantry unit. We had to wear our most formal regimental dress (scarlet red wool tunic with tight AF collar, white gloves, pith helmet, shiny parade boots, ,etc). And carry our FN-C1-A1 rifle. Bayonet in scabbard on belt. No ammo.
Perhaps even cooler CSB: a few weeks earlier a couple of M72 anti-tank weapons went missing somewhere in the supply chain. Our battalion spent a few days combing the base, everything was counted and recounted. As far as I knew, never found. But just a lowly private, so who knows.
EDIT: fixed 1894 -> 1984. Neither I or that specific Pope were alive in 1894.
